Aimable bomb cluster assembly and adapter and release mechanism therefor



Feb. 24, 1959 G, H. CARDIFF 2,874,639

AIMABLE BOMB CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTOR AND RELEASE MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed May 21. 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet l I" .Z I 36 ax .95

a. I 4 g I 1 i 7 94 I02 you /az ma 35 1 \0 INVENTOR. "'I L GEORGE H- CARD/FF BY L ATTORNEY H. CARDIFF 2,874,639

, G AIMABLE BOMB CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTOR AND' RELEASE MECHANISM THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 24, 1959 Fil ed May 21, 1954 '2 2e 22 z H INVENTO GEORGE h. CARD/FF 1959 G. H. CARDIFF 2,874,639

1 AIMABLE BOMB CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTOR AND RELEASE MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed May 2], 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet I5 I l l l 90 v 03 v J 77 67 v 66 as 73 J 46 72 7 F\ Y J i #1 "1:, k 32 43 624% INVENTOR.

GEORGE H- CARD/F F ATTORNEY 1959 G. H. CARDIFF 2,874,639

AIMABLE BOMB CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTOR AND RELEASE MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed May 21, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 r I NVENTOR.

GEORGE H CARD/FF ,5; Arron/1% Feb. 24, 1959- G. H. CARDIFF 2,874,639

AIMABLE BOMB CLUSTER ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTOR AND RELEASE MECHANISM THEREFOR Fi led May :21, 1954 INVENTOR.

GEORGE H- CARD/FF W ATTORNEY drag, which is produced by a parachute 36 that is opened at some predetermined time during the fall of the cluster 20. i

The drag on the parachutel36 causes sudden decelerationof the casing 25, so that the momentum of the bomb package '21, the nose assembly 30 and the rear-end assembly 32 can actuate the release mechanism 35. Then the bomb package 21 and plates30 and 32 are disconnected from the casing 25 and projected out of the forward end of the casing 25. As soon as they are outside the ,casing 25, the buckles 24 release the peripheral belt straps 23, and the package falls apart. As bombs 22 continue on down toward the target area, they become somewhat dispersed, and when their fuses go off, they arefree to expend themselves on the target.

" The cluster'cdsing 25 Assta tedgabove, thec'asing'"25'is'cylindrical with a closedrear'end wall 27. Sinc'e'these two parts 26' and 27,are unitary, one way of effecting the closure is by the seam'weld .28, which will be'completely airtight. Of course, i't'is possible to make the cylindrical wall 26 and end wall 27 in one piece, should that be' a practical production method. The fin assembly 34 may be secured to the end wall 27 by two or more studs 97.

In practicing certain preferred forms of the invention I provide three clevises 40 on the outside face 41 of the rear 'wall 27"for attachment ofthe drag mechanism in a v manner'described later herein '(see Fig. 3). Preferably the clevi'ses 40 are spaced 120 apart and are located at substantially the same radius, in between the outer periphery 42 or the rear wall 27 and a central opening 43.' J

The end plate 32 is connected to the release mechanism 35 through the central opening 43, and in the form of myinvention shown in Figs. 1 to 8 a guide sleeve 44 is secured, as by welding, to the-rear casing wall 27 and extends rearwardly therefrom through the opening 43. The guide sleeve 44 may have exterior threads 45, and itsrear (outer) end 46 may have a radially-inward recess 47 to accommodate an annular sealing gasket 48. The cylindrical wall 25 may be provided exteriorly with hooks '49 or other means for handling the cluster 20 and loading it into the aircraft.

, The nose assembly 30 The'nose assembly 30 (see Fig. 3) includes a nose plate 50, generally disc-shaped but curled back axially at its outer edges'51 and provided with an annular offset rim 52. annular spacer plate 53 may be spot-welded or'otherwise secured to the inner surface 54 of the nose plate 50 with its radially-outward rim' 55 cooperating with the offset rim 52 to provide between them an annular recess 56 that receives a ring gasket 57. The gasket 57 may be provided with an annular recess 58 in which the forward end 31 of the casing 25 fits. Prefera'bly, the gasket 56 is made from material that will not bond to the metal casing 25. It may be material such 7 as that set forth in military specification No. 63065-2, a neoprene which continues some waxy substances. Or it may comprise a synthetic rubbergasket coated with a mold relea'se fluid, such as a silicone fluid. ,At any rate, well-known materials are available which will provide a pressure-tight seal between the casing 25 and the nose assembly 30 without bonding the gasket 57 to the metal parts, so that when the nose assembly 30 is released,

its momentum will instantly carry it away from the casing without sticking; Y g

The nose assembly 30 also includes a notched frontend-plate assembly 60 for the bomb package 21. This assembly 60 may be spaced from the nose plate 50 by spacer plate 52-and secured to them by cap screws 61, suitable'wa'shers being provided so 'that'the 'fitting' is Pressure-tight.

The front-end-plate assembly 60 may be linked to the rear-end-plate assembly 32 by means of the bars 33, of which there may be three or more. This structure is conventional, as the structure by which the bombs 22 are held together insidethe bars 33 between the front-endplate assembly 60 and rear-end assembly 32 by the belt straps 23, as noted before. The buckles 24 hold the straps 23 tightly enough to hold the bombs 22 in the package 21. However, as soon as the bombs are projected out of the casing 25, the buckles 24 will open, and the bombs 22 will be set loose.

The rear end plate assembly 32 The rear-end-plate assembly 32 may be provided with a central opening 63 somewhat smaller than the opening 43 through the casing end 27, and a locking shaft 64 may be welded or otherwise rigidly or integrally secured to the plate 32 and extend rearwardly through and beyond the opening 63. The locking shaft 64 has an interiorly threaded recess 65 and has a generally smooth, cylindrical outer surface 66 provided adjacent its outer end 67 with an annular groove 68, preferably semi-circular in cross section. It will be seen that the locking shaft 64 fits inside the guide sleeve 44 and is slidable with respect thereto. When the release mechanism 35 permits, it will slide axially there, When the entire noseplate assembly 30, rear-end assembly 32 and the bomb package 21 slide out from the casing 25.

The release mechanism 35' Broadly speaking, the release mechanism 35 includes the locking shaft 64. It also includes a plurality of metal balls adapted to fit in the annular groove 68 and cooperate with other parts to lock theshaft 64 in place. The balls 70 may be steel, but they need not be ball-bearings; they can be unground and mu A hexagonal interiorly-threaded ball-stop sleeve 71 is threaded around theguide sleeve 44, compressing the gasket 48 against the guide sleeve 44 and the release shaft 64, thereby completing the leak-tight seal of the casing 25. The sleeve 71 has a radially outer end shoulder 72 and also a radially-inner, axially-outwardly-stepped shoulder 73 that engagesthe balls 7 0.

A ball-release cap 75, has an annular skirt 76 whose end wall 77 compresses an annular flat gasket 78 against the shoulder 72 of the ball-stop sleeve 71. When seated in this manner, the cap holds the balls 70 in place in the groove 68, where they engage-the ball stop sleeve 71. So long as this condition exists, the locking shaft 64 cannot slide out through the sleeve 43, and the package 21 is held in the casing 25.

A central interiorly threaded ,opening 79 extends through the cap 75; this opening 79 isoversize with respect to the threaded recess 65 in the locking shaft 64. During shipment and storage a shipping screw 80 is preferably slid through the oversizeopening 79 of the cap 75 and threaded into therecess 65 in the locking .shaft 64, thereby positively holding the cap 75 against and around the ball stop sleeve 71 and therefore holding the package 21'in-the casing 25. suitable washers 81 and 82 may be provided to protect the cap 75. It will be noted that the diameter of the screw 80 is enough smaller than the central opening 79 of the cap 75 so that there is no threading engagement therewith.

Since the screw 80 is removed when the cluster 20 is armed, the release mechanism 35 would then come apart,

and sleeve 71. After the arming of the cluster iscompleted, this retaining yoke is taken ofi and discarded.

The release actuating mechanism When the cluster assembly 20 is to be armed and loaded into the aircraft, the shipping screw 80 is withdrawn and in its place is threaded a release shaft which is part of the drag mechanism. The threaded'end 91 of the shaft 90 is too large to be threaded into the locking shaft 64 and is instead threaded only into the opening 79 of the release cap 75, the keyed portion 92 of the shaft 90 being used to assist in tightening. The outer end 93 of the release shaft 90 may be rigidly secured to a parachute canister 94, which contains the parachute 36 and is secured thereto by shrouds 95. When the parachute 36 is folded inside the canister 94, it is covered by a lid 96.

A drag collar may be slidably mounted around the shaft 90 adjacent the outer end 93 thereof. The collar 100 is provided with three clevises 101, on which three drag links 102 are pivotally mounted. During the arming, these drag links 102 are also pivotallysecured to the clevises 40 on the rear end wall 27 of the casing 25.

A helical coil spring 103 encircles the shaft 90 and is heldunder compression, one end being retained in a recess 104 in the collar 100, while the other end bears against a washer 105 held in position by a cotter pin 106 that extends through the shaft 90. The compressive action of the spring 103 urgesthe ball-release cap 75 normally in toward the rear end wall 27' and thereby normally holds the release mechanism 35 together, with the balls 70 inthe groove 68. However, when the parachute 36 is opened, the sudden drag is 'suflicient to overcome the spring pressure, and the shaft 90 slides relatively to the drag collar 100 (see Fig. 6) carrying with it the ball-release cap 75 and'thereby opening the release mechanism 35,

Actuation of the parachute 36 may be accomplished bya detonation cap or by spring apparatus or by any sort of mechanism which will open the canister lid 96 and project the parachute 36 out. For example, Fig. 14 shows the canister 94 with its lid 96 and an opening fuse 98'which-pu1lsa pin 99 that normally holds the lid 96 and canister 94 together. When the fuse 98 is activated, and pulls the pin 99, .then the lid 96 falls away from the canister 94. Such fuse mechanisms 98 are Well known in the military art and need not be described here. Actuation may be initiated by a timer or by an air pressure de-:

vice or by any other means which will accomplish the desired results, and these, too, are well known in the military art. a v

Figs. 15 and 16 show a modified form of canister with a lower portion 110 and an upper portion 111 held to it by means of a spring metalband 112 having some side clipportions 113 which envelop the flanges 114 and 115 of the canister portions 110,111. The spring band 112 is held together by a yoke arrangement 116 where its ends meet, through which a pin 117 passes. When the fuse 118 is activated, it pulls the pm 117 out from the yoke 116, and the spring -=band 112 immediately straightens out, thereby releasing the canister top 111 from the canister base 110.

Assembly of the device ,o -f F igs; 1 i0 8 In assembly, the nose30 and rear plate 32 are held.

together by the bars 33, and the bombs '22 are packed between them and secured there by fastening the straps 23 in the buckles 24. This bomb package 21 is then inserted through the forward end of the casing 25 until the locking'shaft 64 extends out through the guide sleeve 44. The ball-stop sleeve 71 may be threaded around the guide sleeve '44, compressing the gasket 48, either before'or after'insertion ofthe bomb package 21. The balls70 are placed in the groove 68 and then the cap 75 is placed over the sleeve 71 and locked in place by screwing the shipping screw 80 into the locking shaft 64. The hook 85 maythen be snapped into the grooves the cap 75 and the drag links 102 are attached to the clevises 101. This attaches the drag release mechanism to the casing 25. Then the cluster 20 may be put aboard the bomber, usually being handled by the hooks 49.

Operation of the device of Figs. 1 to 7 The bomb cluster 20 is taken aloft over the target area and is dropped in the normal manner just as a bomb would be dropped. As itfalls through the air, it accelerates rapidly, and at the desired time or altitude, the canister lid 96 opens and the parachute 36.is projected cut'of the canister 94. The sudden drag produced by the parachute 36 exerts a sudden strong outward pull on the release shaft 90, greater than the pressure of the spring 103. This pull compresses the spring 103 and moves the shaft 90 outwardly, away from the rearend 27 of the casing 25, carrying with it the cap 75. As soon as the cap 75 is pulled a short distance away from the shoulder 72 of the ball-stop sleeve 71, the balls 70 drop out and the locking shaft 64 is then free to slide through the guide 44, even though the spring 103 should later snap the cap 75 back, for once the .balls 70 have been released nothing holds the shaft 64. Since the bomb package'21 has considerable momentum and is still be-' ing accelerated by gravity, it immediately pulls away from the casing 25, which is being held back by the parachute 36. The gasket 57 permits this to be done quickly, and the bomb package 21 falls out the nose of the casing 25. As soon as the package 21 is outside the casing 25, the straps 23 and buckles 24 are insuflicient to 'hold the package 21 together and the bombs 22 disperse, as desired.

Modified form of release mechanism of the toggle type (Fig. 9)

A modified form of release mechanism 120 is shown in Fig. 9. This mechanism 120. is of the toggle type. The casing 25 and the bomb package 21 are constructed exactly as described before, with the exception that in place of the locking shaft 64 there is a locking shaft 121 which need not be threaded interiorly or have any recess but-does have a groove 122 around its outer periphery. To keep the assembly airtight, a gasket 123 may be provided between the guide sleeve 124 and a collar 125.

.The release shaft may again be attached to the parachute canister 94 and extends through a collar 131. This collar 131 may be secured to a U-shaped bracket 132 which is rigidly attached to the casing 25. The inner end 133 of the shaft 130 may be provided with two through openings 134. Pivot pins 135 extend through the openings 134 and pivotally secure links 136 thereto, the opposite. ends of the links 136 being pivotally secured by pins 137 to. each of a pair of toggle arms 140. The toggle arms 140 themselves are pivotally secured to pins 141 which extend-across and are supported by thetwo arms of the bracket 132, and are provided with end claws 143, which extend intothe annular groove 122.

The: location'of the pins 135 above the center'and in- Qside the centers'of'the pins 141 brings about a positive toggle force holding the claws 143- locked, and the shaft 130 moves outwardly, pulling the links 136, thereby rotating the toggle arms 140 and opening the'claws 143. Thisreleases the locking shaft 121, and the bomb pack.- age 21 is ejected byits ownlrnomentum from the casing 25.

. A split-nut type of release mechanism 150 is shown in Figs! 'tof1 2: Here a locking shaft 151 extends through a guide sleeve 152, and the locking shaft 151 has an outer threaded end 153.

A split nut 155, that is, a nut that has been sawed into two halves 156, 157, is slipped over the threaded end or stud 153 of the shaft 151 and engages the threads. Thus nut 155 will come apart unless positively held together,

and, therefore, a release cap 160 is provided, having a depending skirt .161 that surrounds the nut 155 and holds it together, and in position around the stud 153. During shipping, a screw 162 is slid through an oversize threaded opening 163 and is screwedinto an opening 164 in the split nut 155. p 7 During arming, the shipping screw 162 is replaced by a shaft 165 like the shaft 90, and the release mechanism 150 may otherwise be identical to the release mechanism 35. Thus, there may again be. a yoke 85 retained in grooves 83 and 84. When the drag of the parachute 36, or other drag mechanism, pulls the cap 160 away from the rest of the release mechanism 150, the split nut 155 falls apart into its two pieces 156 and 157, the locking shaft 151 slides out through the guide sleeve 152, and the bomb package 21 is then ejected from the casing 25.

Modified release mechanism-split-r ut type 7 Alternative form of drag mechanism One modified form of drag releasing mechanism 170 is indicated in Fig. 13. Here the entire tail assembly 171 is connected by shrouds 172 to the casing 25. Normally the tail 171 is held closely against the rear plate 27, but

at a desired time it is released, so that there is a sudden drag. Any of the release mechanisms previously described may be used with this or any other type of drag mechanism which will give the desired results. Actuation may be the same as for the parachute 36.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

1. Ina bomb cluster having a casing having a rear end wall, a bomb package in said casing, and a casing closure member'that normally seals said casing airtight, the combination therewith of: a locking shaft secured to said package and extending out through said rear end wall of said casing; latching means engaging a portion of said locking shaft and preventing relative movement therebetween; drag-producing means; a lost-motion connection betweensaid drag-producing means and said casing; retainer means connected'to said drag-producing means and normally holding said latching means in engagement with said shaft;'and release means for disconnecting said retainer means from said latching means and actuable by said drag-producing means upon the production of drag thereby prior to the transmission of the drag to said casing through said lost-motionconnection, whereupon said latching means is released from said locking shaft, so that said locking shaft and saidpackage and closure member part from said casing, latching means, and drag-producing means by being freed from the drag thereon. V

2. The combination of claim 1 in which: said locking shaft is generally cylindrical and provided with an annular'groove near its outer end; said latching means comprises balls in said groove anda two part sleeve element slidably mounted around said locking shaft and rigidly secured to said casing with one end engaging said balls so as to prevent relative axial movement; in which said retainer means comprises a cylindrical tubular cap surrounding said balls in said groove and rigidly connected to said drag-producing means, so that upon actuation of said dragmeans, said capis moved axially .away from said -'slee ve -'suificientl y to'fpermittlieballs to fall outj of said-groove, whereupon there is nothing topre'v'ent relative movement between said locking. shaft and said casing. 31. The combination of claim 2 in which said sleeve comprises a tubular guide sleeve rigidly secured .to said casing in said opening with said locking shaft extending through it and beyond it, said guide sleeve being exteriorly threaded; an interiorly threaded ball-engaging sleeve threaded around said guide sleeve, with said locking shaft extending therebeyond; and a gasket compressed between said guide sleeve and said ball-engaging sleeve and against said locking shaft, to make a'pressure tight seal for said casing prior to the release of the package therefrom.

. 4. The combination of claim 2 in which said cap has a threaded interior openingtherethrough for connection to a release shaft forming part of.said drag-producing means, the end, of said release shaft being threaded; the outer end of said locking shaft having an interiorly threaded recess smaller in diameterthan said cap opening; whereby during shipment said release shaft can be replaced by a cap screw extendingthrough said cap and threaded intosaid locking shaft. j V

5; The combination'of claim 2 in which said drag-producin means is connected rigidly to a release shaft, in

which said release shaft is slidablymounted in a position-,

ing sleeve connected rigidly-to said casing to provide the lost-motion connection, and in which spring means urges said cap into its ball-retaining position, while drag on said drag-producing means counteracts said spring means so that saidcap is moved into its ball releasing position, said spring means also cushioning the initial shock of the drag.

6. The combination of claim 1 in ,which there is: a groove near the outer end of said locking shaft and in which said latching means comprises toggle means con-.

trolled by said retainer means and normally engaged in said groove, so as to link thereby said casing to said locking shaft, so that actuation of said drag-producing means Withdraws said toggle means from engagement insaid groove. 1

7. The. combination of claim 1 in which a portion of the projecting portion of said locking shaft is threaded, in which said latching means comprises an axially split nut engaging said threads, one end of said nut engaging aprojecting portion of said casing to prevent said relative movement, in which said retainer means includes a cylindrical sleeve normally surrounding said nut and retain ing itin place, while upon actuation of said drag means said sleeve is moved away and said nut can fall apart so that said relative movement becomes possible.

8. An aim-able bomb cluster of the type adapted to hold a plurality of bombs within an airtight container and to unload them therefrom after the cluster has been dropped, including in combination a hollow casing having an open forward end and a closed rear end wall, all its walls being imperforate except for anopening through'said rear'end wall; a closure member sealing the forward end of said casing but separable therefrom by aldiiference in applied axial accelerations; a separable bomb package inside said container attached to said closure member for movement therewith, said package being adapted to fall apart and disperse the bombs when outside said casing; a rigid member secured to said package at the rear end thereof and having a portion extending out the opening through said rear wall; means for sealing said rigid member with respect to saidrear wall opening, said rigid member being movable relative to said sealing means so as to break the seal;

releasable locking means locking said rigid member in its sealed position in said opening; and, self-contained dragproducing means connected to said locking means and to said casing, whereby upon sudden deceleration of said drag-producing means said locking means is released and said closure member, bomb package, and rigid member are projected out through the opened forward end of said casing.

9. The cluster of claim 8 wherein said drag-producing means includes a parachute.

10. The cluster of claim 8 wherein said releasable locking means includes an annular groove near the outer end of said rigid member, balls in said groove, means secured to said casing and engaging said balls, and a cap holding said balls in said groove and connected to said drag-producing means, so that upon actuation of said drag-producing means said cap is removed sufficiently for said balls to fall out from said groove, whereupon relative movement between said rigid member and said casing becomes possible.

11. The cluster of claim 8 wherein said releasable locking means includes a groove near the outer end of said rigid member and toggle means joining said drag-producing means to said rigid member by engaging in said groove, so as to link thereby saidcasing to said rigid memher, so that actuation thereof withdraws said toggle means from engagement in said groove.

12. The cluster of claim 8 wherein said releasable locking means includes a threaded portion of the projecting portion of said rigid member, an axially split nut engaging said threads, one end of said nut engaging said casing to prevent said relative movement, and a cap normally retaining said nut in place and connected to said drag-producing means for movement away from said nut during said sudden deceleration, whereupon said nut falls apart, enabling said relative movement.

13. In an aimable bomb cluster having an airtight casing and a bomb package inside said casing joined to a member sealing the front wall of said casing and movable therewith away from said casing, the combination therewith of: a longitudinal rigid member connected to the rear end of said bomb package and projecting through and beyond the rear end wall of said casing in slidable relation thereto, said longitudinal member having latching means thereon; drag-producing means connected to said casing by a lost-motion connection, including a shaft cooperating with the aforesaid latching means to lock said longitudinal member relative to said casing, said second latching means being held in its latching position by said shaft and released therefrom when said shaft slides relative to said casing; and means to actuate said drag-producing means, whereby said shaft releases said latching means, and the momentum of said bomb package carries it out from said casing when the drag acts on said casing.

14. The combination of claim 13, wherein said shaft is normally spring-urged into the position Where it holds the two latching means together, the initial drag moving said shaft and compressing said spring.

15. An aimable airtight bomb cluster including in combination a generally cylindrical casing open at its forward end and closed at its rear end by a wall having a central axial opening with a guide sleeve extending rearwardly therethrough; a separable closure member adapted to provide a releasable airtight seal against the forward end of said casing; a separable bomb package inside said casing and connected to said forward closure member for movement therewith relative to said casing, said package when out of said casing being adapted to fall apart and effect dispersal of its bombs; a locking shaft secured to the rear end of said package and extending out beyond said rear end Wall through said guide sleeve; releasable latching means engaging said locking shaft and holding it against movement relative to said casing; drag-producing means,

including means normally holding said latching means in engagement with said locking shaft and lost-motion means to release said holding means on the initial production of drag for allowing movement of said locking shaft, bomb package, and forward closure member relative to said casing, said drag-producing means being connected to said casing by said lost-motion means providing said release before producing drag on said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,229,170 Troje June 5, 1917 1,529,962 Pantofiicek Mar. 17, 1925 r 1,639,075 Bold Aug. 16-, 1927 2,306,321 Roberts Dec. 22, 1942 2,317,256 Kurowski Apr. 20, 1943 2,565,470 Brown Aug. 28, 1951 2,693,980 Heidman Nov. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 123,705 Australia Feb. 24, 1947 

